Impeller for centrifugal apparatus.



R H. RICE.-

IMPELLER FOR CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY9.1009.

1,02 1 ,265. Patented Mar. 26. 19111:.

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. UNITED sTA'rEs P'lJENT OFFICE."

RICHARD H. RICE, F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRICCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application filed July 9, 1909. Serial No. 506,749.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RHTHARD H. RICE, a citi- I the impeller is subjecteddue to its very high rotative speed, and also in which the impellerstructure is rugged rind simple and much --less expensive to manufacturethan tha of the impellers heretofore used.

In. the accompanying drawing illustrating an embodiment of my invention;Figure 1 is a partial side View of an impeller; Fig. 2 is a crosssection of the impeller; Fig. 3 is .a section on the line 3-3 of 2-; andFig. 4 is a section on the line 45 4 Fig. 2.

The impeller of the pump or compressor illustrated includes a hub 5having a suitable bore- 6 to receive a driving shaft on which it'ismounted to rotate Within a casing having receiving and dischargeopenings for the air, gas, Water or other fluid to be handled by thepump or compressor. The hub 5 is provided with curved outer surfaces 7'and' 8 Which merge into the lateral faces of a web 9 having a circularperiphery, The

i curved faces of the hub and Web assist in di- 6 "portion-of thewcb 9are inclined toward rooting the. fluid in an efficient manner to theinlet ends of thc impeller vanes or blades 10 and 11. The axial Width ofthe cross's'e'ction-of the web and hub increases from the=periphery-towa'rd the-center of the impeller;

IILflfflTlflIlllGf adapted to secure the mist effectivej-distributionofmaterial to Withstand the ceIiirif-ugalfstresses-set up by the highrotativei speed ofthe apparatus Thef-hub' and web are, preferably madefrom forged;

steel or a; steel casting and machined to finishediform. l I: Thelateral "faces .12 and 13 of the outer ,eacli-otlicrg thus. giving tosaid vportion a,

-wedge;shaped cross-section. 1 The vanes .o rblhcles-IO-a'nd 1-1fileproyided with'fial gcd inner lateral edges' thatcnga ge thefaces 12apparatus shown is only) and 13 and are riveted thereto. The vanesextend outwardly beyond the periphery of the web so that the ends of theflanges are brought into engagement with each other and the projectingportions are secured togather by rivets. The rivets which secure thevanes to the web and to each other are headed up While hot and oncooling they contractto bind the parts securely together Whenv viewedfrom thelside, as in Fig. 1, the outer portions of the vanes 10 and. 11'are seen to be radially or substantially radially disposed with respectto the center of the impeller While the inner portions of said vanes arecurved transversely to the radial portions in such a manner that theirinlet ends are nearly at right angles to said radial portions andtangent to a circle described about the center of the impeller.The.cen-' trifugal stresses on these curved portions of" the vanes tendto bend them overQ To strengthen and protectthe vanes against thisbending action. the inner portions of the outer lateral edges of saidvanes adjacent the hub are provided with flanges 14 and 15 and rings 16and 17 are riveted to the flanges. The vanes are readily curved andflanged by rolling. They can be made from flat metal plates which arepassed through dies or rolls that bend the plates to the. de-

sired curvature and form the flanges di1ring the same general operation,the outer flanges being cut away afterward leaving the porf 1-7; butthey-might he formed without this machine processes, thus producingarelafirmlyinexpensive impellerj which has a.- simple and ruggedstrueturewell adapted to ,tions 1'1 and 15 to .receiveth'erings 16 andlast cutting'operation by using flat plates of perform. itsfunctions andtho withstandthe l stresses to which it is 'subjectcd-inservice. I Inaccordance with the provisions "of the g1- 0,.

patent statutes, I have described the. prin:

"cipleof operation of my invention, 'together I w th the apparatus whichI now consider- ,1: to represent the bestg embodimenththereofj'.

but; .I desire to have it understdodthat the f illustrative; and thatthe 'inyentio'n'can' other means.

105. e carried out' by i WVhatlI 'claini cos new desire tot se cure byLetters Patent of the United-State's; 1 y

1. An impeller comprising a hub, a Web extending outwardly from. thehub, vanes arranged in pairs -with the members of each pair disposed onopposite sides of the web and having their ends projecting beyond theperiphery of the Web, the outer portions of the vanes being radiallyarranged and the inner portions curved transversely'with respect to theouter portions,- flanges on the inner lateral edges of said members or;vanes that are attached to the Web and to each other beyond theperiphery of the Web,

fiangeson the outer lateral edges of the allel to said faces, said vanesalso having their outer portions substantially radially disposed whiletheir inner portions are. curved transversely with respect to the outerportions, flanges on the outer lateral edges of the curved portions ofthe'vanes, and

rings secured to said flanges.-

3. An impeller comprising a hulna web extendipg outwardly from the hub,the portion of the Web adjoining the hub having enrved'faces and thepart of the Web between said portion and its periphery having oppositelyinclined faces, vanes having flanged inner lateral edges that areattached to the inclined faces of said web with their 7 outer endsprojecting beyond the periphery of the Web into engagement with eachother, the outer portions of the vanes being radially disposed and theinner portions curved transversely with respect to said outer portions,flanges on the outer lateral edges of the curved portions of the vanes,and rings secured tosaid flanges.

at. An impeller comprising a hub, a Wet) extending outwardly from thehub, the portion of the Web adjacent the hub having curved faces and thepart of the Web between said portion and the periphery having oppositelyinclined eonvergingfaces, vanes mounted in pairs on said inclined faces"with their outer ends projecting be yond the periphery of the Web, themem bers of each pair being disposed. on opposite sides of the web, saidvanes having outer so radially arranged portions and inner curvedportions, integral flanges formed on the innor lateral edges of thevanes Which engage said inclined faces and project beyond them intoengagement with each other, rivets which pass through the Web and eachpair of tlanges'and secure the vanes to saidv web, rivets which .passthrougirthe projecting portions of the flanges and secure them.together, integral flanges formed on the outer lateral edges'of thecurved portions of the vanes, flat rings arranged at each side of theweb in engagement with the last mentioned flanges, and rivets forsecuring the rings to said flanges.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day ofJuly, 1909.

RICHARD H. RICE.

